I Should Have Known
by AlyxxTheGreat
Summary: Alfred left Arthur years ago, but they still miss each other. Songfic. Oneshot. Yaoi. Prepare your tear ducts. I'm bad at summaries; just read my junk.


A/N: I usually don't like songfics but I heard this song and immediately thought of US/UK. If you haven't heard this song, look it up. I cried when I heard it. Anyways, here's my fic!

I Should Have Known

The sky was crying fat raindrops on the dusty field, creating a thick layer of sludgy mud. The sun was obscured by dense, grey clouds, making the air dark and gloomy. Two men were standing in the middle of the storm as the wind battered their dirty hair out of their faces. The British man with the golden blond hair and thick eyebrows was looking upon the other American with a mixed expression of pity and frustration.

"Are you sure this is what you want? You can't come back once you leave," he declared.

"Stop begging me to stay. This is what I want; you can't change that. I don't need you anymore, Arthur," snapped the dirty blond man in the bomber jacket.

"Alfred, you can't make it on your own. I know you better than you know yourself," Arthur pleaded.

"Who the hell could know ME better than ME? I told you already, I don't need you! I don't even WANT you! I'm leaving; you can't change my mind!" yelled Alfred, pushing the other man backwards. Arthur stumbled a bit from the surprise. He and his childhood friend had fought before, but never physically.

"You don't know what you want, bloody idiot!" he growled, shoving Alfred back. Arthur couldn't let him know that he needed him. Alfred couldn't just leave him after all these years together.

"Leave me ALONE!" Alfred screamed, directing his fist toward his former friend's face. Again, Arthur staggered backward, this time tripping into the mud. He dragged himself to his feet and lunged toward Alfred, but was stopped halfway and thrown to the ground again by his wrists. Arthur had forgotten how much stronger his friend had grown. It was useless to fight back. He tried not to sob and ended up making an odd choking sound.

"Don't do this. You can't..." murmured Arthur, spitting out mud. His voice was barely audible over the pouring rain.

"Pathetic. You can't bear to watch me leave, can you?" the American snarled harshly. Tears welled in Arthur's eyes. His friend was never this unkind. What had he done to make Alfred choose this path? The British man watched sorrowfully as his best friend left, leaving a trail of bootprints in the mud.

You never really know till it's gone, till time plays its final song...

Gone forever. After all these years of practically raising him, he'd left. Arthur couldn't help it; he started to sob. His body shook with every new tear, creating paths down his dirty cheeks.

Arthur had to refrain from screaming Alfred's name. Instead, he resorted to whispering two simple words: "Goodbye, hero."

~O~

Even now, the memories pained him. Arthur hated thinking about their lost friendship that had almost become something more. Alfred had been everything. A friend. A brother. A crush. A hero, even. He thought about everything he could have done to make Alfred stay. He could have confessed his love, or treated him with more respect, or maybe if he hadn't forgotten Alfred's twelfth birthday, it wouldn't have happened. Arthur blamed himself for everything. How could he not?

You never really understand till you lose what you once had...

He still cared deeply for his lost friend, and thought about him constantly. But the memory that remained the most fresh in his mind was that rainy day- the day that divided them forever.

There were other memories, of course- happy moments at the movies, or beach days, or even simple but funny conversations at school. Arthur thought back to the time when Alfred bought both boys ice cream, but neither of them liked strawberry, so they had to share the chocolate cone. It brought a smile to the Brit's lips, remembering his childhood. But the smile just as quickly turned into a frown when he realized there would never be any more of those sweet, seemingly insignificant moments to smile at.

You never really take the moments for what they're worth...

Maybe, just maybe, if Arthur hadn't been so selfish, if he had just cared a little more... Maybe Alfred wouldn't have left... Or, possibly, it wasn't even Arthur's fault. Maybe Alfred just needed some space. But they'd been apart for years now... Surely he would've come back by now. Was he waiting for an apology? It would be difficult to say sorry, but Arthur

would do it for the sake of their friendship.

He flipped through the phone book rapidly, with a newfound excitement after his long period of depression. J...Jo...Jones. There was a long list of Joneses, but only one Alfred. Arthur quickly memorized the address and hopped in the car. His heart pounded in his chest, going a million miles an hour. Although his palms were sweating profusely, he refused to back down now. This came before everything else. It was now or never.

Appreciate and put him first...

Arthur stood awkwardly in front of the door with the American flag hanging off of it. He couldn't help but chuckle. Alfred had always been quite the patriot. He knocked once, twice, and waited for a response. Just before Arthur turned around to leave, the door opened, revealing the same blond-haired man that Arthur had fallen for so long ago. The only difference was the reading glasses propped on his nose.

"Hey... Arthur. What are you doing he-" Alfred was suddenly silenced by the other man's lips on his. He sank into the kiss and wrapped his arms around Arthur's waist. Arthur was surprised, both by Alfred's actions and his own. He never intended to confess now for fear of rejection, but it was quite clear that the affection was mutual.

When they pulled away, breathless, tears of joy were forming in the British man's eyes and threatened to spill onto his cheeks. Both of them spoke at the same time in quavering voices:

I'm sorry...

I should have known.


End file.
